President Donald Trump is facing a new lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of Maryland and District of Columbia, alleging that he is violating clauses in the U.S. Constitution that were meant to prevent corruption.
"The president's conflicts of interest threaten our democracy", Frosh told journalists.
But the two Democratic attorneys general say their lawsuit is unique, because they are suing as sovereign entities on behalf of residents of Maryland and Washington, D.C. They say the Trump Hotel in the nation's capital affects business in the Washington area. He said Saudi Arabia alone has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Frosh said the president has discussed some of his business dealings on the campaign trail, noting Trump's mention that a state-owned Chinese bank has office space in Trump Tower in NY.
The suit to be unveiled Monday centers on the so-called emoluments clause, which bans USA officials from taking gifts or other benefits from foreign governments. "The Framers of the Constitution foresaw that possibility, and acted to prevent that harm".
The attorneys also argue that Maryland and the District of Columbia are struggling to compete economically.
They noted that Trump's businesses recently obtained approval for valuable trademarks from China. The suit asks the court to block Trump from accepting foreign money. The suit says that not just hotel payments but tax breaks and permits count as emoluments. The domestic emoluments clause forbids the president from receiving any other "emolument" while he's in office, generally defined as a payment or other financial benefit. In order to prove this accusation, the lawsuit demands that Donald Trump make available his income tax returns in order for the plaintiffs to prove their case.
They said the fight would likely end up before the Supreme Court.
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The White House didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. In a court filing last week that seeks to dismiss CREW's lawsuit, the Justice Department lawyers representing Trump denied any constitutional violations but said it would be up to Congress, not a federal judge, to fix any problem.
Trump already faces a similar lawsuit that was brought in January by plaintiffs including a ethics non-profit group. Racine said he and Frosh were supportive of CREW's lawsuit in NY, but that their case offered another chance to develop the record and the law.
Spicer called CREW an "advocacy group with partisan ties".
The White House said Monday the president's business interests do not violate the Emoluments Clause, and that the lawsuit is nothing more than blatantly partisan politics.
The Trump Organization has promised in the past to take steps to address some ethics concerns. The Constitution typically explicitly names the president and vice president when parts of the Constitution refer to them, with clauses generally referring to government officials not always applying.
But in documentation sent to lawmakers the company said it would be "impractical" to track everyone.
"It is not the intention nor design of this policy for our properties to attempt to identify individual travelers who have not specifically identified themselves as being a representative of a foreign government entity", the document read according to the Post.
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